Improvement in horse hat-forks



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M wf c dilated 5mm ELAS RHODES, JUNR., OF CLYDE, OHIO..

Letters Patent No. 83,794, elated November 3, 1868.

'IMPROVENIENT IN I-IRSE HAY-FORKS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the sama.

To all whom it lmay concerne Be it known that I, Ennis Rnonns, Junr., of Clyde, in the County of Sandusky, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse Hay-Forks; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents a side elevation of my haymfork, when in position to be thrust into the hay, and

Fiure 2, a similar view, showing the fork in position when loaded.

The nature of my invention consists in the employment, in a horse hay-forl, of a lever, formed uith a shoulder, and so constructed tha-t it will canse the said shoulder, when the fork is ready to be loaded, to engage with another shoulder on the central shaft ofthe fork, and thus enablel it to be looked, and, by means of this lever, the fork, when ready to be thrust into the hay, can also be locked, substantiallyv as will be hereinafter set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to Ina-ke and einploy lny invention, I will now describe it.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the shank or body of the fork, which consists of two bars, curved, and connected together at their upper ends, and extending down therefrom, and running parallel vwith each other, a suitable distance apart.

These bars are braced together, near their centre and lower ends, by pieoes a n.

One of these bars is 'provided with a slot on its npper end, to receive the lever B, which is pivoted therein, near its lower end, atl the point x.

The lever B, a short distance above the point where it is' pivoted, is formed with a shoulder, l1, whiol1,when

the eentral shaft c is slid up, causing the prongs a a' of the hars of body or shank A to be extended, ready to receive the hay, will engage with a shoulder or projection, b, on the upper end of shaft o, thus looking said shaft, and thereby firmly retain the prongs a' a at right angles with the shank A, for the purpose above stated.

The lever B, when disengaged frornthe shaft c, said shaft will fall, and cause the prongs a. a to be drawn into the slotted portion of shaft o, with their lower ends or points flush with the inclined surface of said shaft, ready to be thrust into the hay, and loe held in this position by pulling the lever B outwards by oord b2, eausing its lower end'to nt or rest on the shoulder b1 of shaft o.

g is aoord, attached to shaft o, for elevating the same, by which the prongs are extended.

g is a cord, for holding the fork While being thrust into and drawn from the hay-stack.

Han'ng thus described my invention,

What ,i claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The lever B, formed with the shoulder b, ineornhination with the. central sliding shaft o, formed with the shoulder hl, shank or body A, opnsisting of two bars, connected together at their upper ends, and supplied with prongs a a', passing through shaft o, and cords bz, g, and g', all constructed and operated substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I :ihn my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ELIAS RHODES, J UNR.

Witnesses:

N. B. MASON, JAs. ZEPERINCK. 

